In the short time I have been taking this class, my knowledge of mindfulness and sustainability has grown tremendously.  I believe that I am typically mindful when making everyday decisions in my life, whether that be using a reusable water bottle or deciding to carpool with my friends.  But there are also several aspects in my life where I could probably be more mindful and sustainable, which I am noticing and even working towards improving.  The “Mindfulness and Sustainability” reading is an example of one of the things that has made me start making some changes in my everyday doings.  Throughout this reading it discusses how mindfulness and sustainability go hand in hand with each other.  It discusses how one way to achieve mindfulness is through mediation; which I had the opportunity to try in class last week.  This was something that I rarely ever do, so having that time in class to just enjoy the moment and breathe was extremely enjoyable.  After practicing mediation last week, I am going to start setting aside time, frequently, to mediate and gather myself.  

Speaking of doing activates that help with one’s wellbeing, watching Marc Cohen’s TED talk, I gained a great sense of how being well myself, reflects on those around me and the environment.  I never really thought of how my wellbeing affected the people and things around me, but it makes sense.  If I am surrounding myself with happy and positive people, things, and places – how could I not be happy?  Watching Cohen’s TED talk, opened my eyes and made me realize that I truly determine how well and happy I am.   

The problem I would like to further explore is dealing with technology and how it is taking over retail sales.  Online stores and businesses are making it nearly impossible for actual store fronts to stay open, due to the customer convenience of shopping online in the comfort of one’s own home. I think this might be wicked because it is unique and is becoming irreversible.  This is not a standard wicked problem, which is why it intrigues me, making it unique.  It is also becoming irreversible, due to store fronts unable to compete with online businesses that have low overheads.